James M. Adcock, PhD

Dr. Adcock has nearly forty years investigative experience that includes twenty-five years of conducting certified training for law enforcement and teaching investigative courses at the university level. Since 1998 he has been actively involved in the cold case investigation process where he designed a Cold Case Investigation Model and conducted numerous reviews of unresolved homicides. He specializes in the management of the investigative process along with crime specific incidents concerning sexual assaults and homicides. Presently, Dr. Adcock teaches online part time for the University of New haven and the University of Southern Mississippi; conducts lectures and cold case consultations for police departments and lectures for the Dutch Police Academy, Apeldoorn, NL to advanced detectives on the Cold Case Investigative process. Besides numerous part time positions as an adjunct faculty member for various universities, Dr. Adcock has served full time for Coppin State University in Baltimore (1 year) and at the University of New Haven, West Haven, CT (11 years). He was the Chief Deputy Coroner of Investigations, Richland County, Columbia, SC for six and half years while he obtained his PhD from the University of South Carolina. Then, prior to that, he served over twenty years in the US Army and retired as a CW4, US Army CID Agent. Besides having his doctorate Dr. Adcock has attended numerous investigative seminars and workshops and is a graduate of the Advanced Detective Course, Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard), Hendon, London, England. He completed a one year Fellowship in Forensic Medicine at the US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and has been certified in numerous states (Georgia, Florida and others) to conduct law enforcement training regarding the investigative process. In 2000 and 2002 he assisted the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) execute a Comprehensive Homicide Investigation Training program by lecturing for PERF in both Kansas City, MO and Memphis, TN. From 1998-2008, while a fellow at the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science co-located at the University of New Haven, Dr. Adcock, conducted dozens of cold case investigation seminars and provided free consults to surrounding police agencies on their unresolved homicides. In addition to conducting cold case investigations lectures for the Dutch Police, Dr. Adcock has been the lead instructor to various police departments on the nuances of conducting cold case investigations. He has also presented numerous lectures at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meetings and in February 2013 gave a cold case presentation to the Smithsonian Associates at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC. He has published two books one on cold case investigations and the other on Death Investigation. He is also the editor of a book series entitled The Law Enforcement Guide to Investigations where the death investigation book was published along with another title on Sexual Assault Investigations by a different author. The series initially started with Jones & Bartlett Learning publishers but has now been moved to the publisher of Charles C. Thomas. Other titles for this investigative series such as Staged Crimes Scenes and Investigating Missing Persons are forthcoming. While a retired fellow with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Dr. Adcock is still very active with the organization and serves on their ethics committee. He previously served on the Board of Directors and was a Vice-President 2008-09. And, since May 2009, he has been a member of the VIDOCQ Society located in Philadelphia, PA which is a non-profit organization that evaluates unresolved homicides for police agencies around the country.